


swallow ( their sorrows )

by paddyfields (lucitae)



Series: a place to put our hands [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, familial/clan angst to rival zen'in, jjk!hq, osaomikita if you squint, slight gore and familial abuse, xin's jjk au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27637196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucitae/pseuds/paddyfields
Summary: “On three,” Atsumu says with a smile plastered on his face.Atsumu’s hand squeezes around Osamu’s, hidden away from the row of elders that kneel across from them.Osamu brings the curse closer to his lips.
Relationships: Miya Atsumu & Miya Osamu
Series: a place to put our hands [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027513
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	swallow ( their sorrows )

**Author's Note:**

> this happened in the span of 12 hours? [xin](https://twitter.com/rinrintoya) told me about the jjk au and i ran with it. and it broke my writer's block just like that.

“On three,” Atsumu says with a smile plastered on his face. Osamu’s muscles refuse to return it. Choosing to glare at their identical trays mounted on low tables. Each tray houses a black ball that Osamu is all too familiar with.

Atsumu’s hand squeezes around Osamu’s, hidden away from the row of elders that kneel across from them. This, Osamu returns as he picks up the ball. It’s almost larger than his hand, heavier than the onigiri he will be having for lunch. For a moment, if he squints hard enough, he can pretend the color comes from seaweed rather than condensed human negativity.

“One,” Atsumu counts. His fingers will probably leave marks on the back of Osamu’s hand from how tight he grips.

Osamu brings the curse closer to his lips.

“Two.”

Osamu inhales and exhales through his nose.

“Three” is said in unison, under breaths.

Osamu shoves the curse into his mouth, hand breaking away from Atsumu to use both hands to cover his mouth and fights the urge to gag at the taste. One of their earliest lessons they were taught ( other than if they spit it back out pairs of hands will hold them down and everyone will turn a blind eye to the sounds they make and the tears streaming down their face ) is that it’s polite to keep their mouths shut. Especially when chewing.

Osamu swallows. Lowers his hands to his lap and ignores the urge to thump his chest to force the lump down faster. A refusal to let the row of onlookers see his pain. His fists curl at the aftertaste.

He turns his head towards Atsumu, opening his now empty mouth to brag about how fast he has consumed. Atsumu grins.

Then falters.

Eyes widening as they both watch crimson red mingled with bits of pitch black gets coughed up in Atsumu’s hands.

Someone yells “rejection” and before Osamu can come to, pair of hands are forcibly removing him from his brother’s side no matter how hard he reaches.

* * *

The condensed curse fits snugly in the palm of his hand, no longer eclipsing it. Just like how there are no more observers trying to test the limitations of his ability to digest and utilize. The last time Osamu saw Atsumu was Golden Week.

Old habits die hard:

Inhale. Exhale. A hand still comes to cover his mouth as he swallows.

He bends over. The repulsive taste surfacing and Osamu almost grips the table.

It’s interrupted by a soft clink.

Osamu lifts his head and sees Kita-senpai set down a cup of steaming tea. Hojicha — something strong enough to wash away that lingering resentment at the back of his throat. He forces a smile to his lips, rasps out a “thanks.”

Kita’s brows knit. And then smooth out at the arrival of Sakusa carrying a small box in his hands.

Sakusa places it on the table and slides it towards Osamu.

It’s the box of dorayaki his sister had picked up after a successful mission two days ago.

Osamu takes one, allowing the sweet red bean paste to erase the curse’s aftermath.

**Author's Note:**

> hopefully it comes across that they are young, young children in section one. and now uh in jujutsu high ( osamu is in kyoto. )


End file.
